We might argue that online ordering and delivery is a "blessing in disguise" in the midst of a pandemic. Vehicles roll into our quiet court of nine homes on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis, dropping off all the stuff we want for daily living and aren't comfortable seeking out in retail stores.
We could also lament that this is a "curse in plain sight" in a number of different ways:
The increase in delivery vehicle traffic.
An increase in packing waste heading to recycling and landfill.
The disposal of online returns as garbage rather than resale or re-purposing.
The disproportionate accumulation of wealth by a few, such as Amazon's Jeff Bezos, while employees work for low wages.
This should matter to us all, and as Christians we can ask what are the best choices (including buying less) which are consistent with our respect for Creation.
I was interested to see that the delivery company, FedEx, chose Toronto for a pilot project to use electric cargo bicycles for deliveries as an alternative to CO2 belching vans and trucks. There are only three of the ebikes so far, but the experiment which began in July is going well according to FedEx project manager, Jeff Gilbert. Here in an excerpt from a piece in Canadian Cycling Magazine:
Gilbert says Toronto was perfect for this project for a number of reasons. The large urban population growth has sparked an increased demand for curbside delivery which, in turn, has led to increased curb delivery congestion. The gridlock traffic also isn’t helped by the constant construction in the city. “In a few years Toronto will be number two for skyscrapers in North America,” notes Gilbert. Currently, Toronto is officially the fastest growing metropolitan area in North America.
He also points out that Toronto has recently made efforts to expand its bike lane network, which now covers 627km of roads. “We’re the first city in North America to have FedEx cargo bikes,” says Gilbert. “This project has opened up conversations around the globe with other cities trying similar things, it’s really exciting.
I hope this sort of alternative, along with electric delivery trucks, will become the norm rather than a curiosity. The ebikes are built in Copenhagen, Denmark, where cycling is a fact of life, including for the daily commute.Every community can ask whether their efforts to provide infrastructure are an adequate response to the challenge of the Climate Emergency. It's encouraging when industry is part of the solution. .
Our desire for a world in which we "live with respect in Creation" must be translated from an aspirational phrase in our UCC New Creed into the practicalities of daily life. This seems to be a step in the right direction -- or is that a revolution? I'm counting the ebikes as a blessing rather than curse. I'm relieved that FedEx is installing winter tires!
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